The Portrait of Severus Snape
by JuniperAlexander
Summary: It has been a decade since the end of the second war. Most have moved on from the desolation caused by Tom Riddle and have found their place in the changed world. War however, is never just two sides and the end is never always quite where everyone thinks it is. Cassiopeia Burns is about to discover a rabbit hole that will change her world once again for better or for worse.


Memorial Hall was installed merely six months after the end of the Second Wizarding War. Housed on the highest floor of Hogwarts it spanned the length of the castle and looked much like a common room and boasted a ceiling that not only looked like the sky outside but _was_ the sky outside. At first, many came to visit the Hall wishing to speak with the portraits of the ones lost and gain closure. As the years went by, fewer and fewer came as it opened to the public in the summer but every year students flocked the hall the first week of school looking for family and family of friends. Some students visited more often and became friends with the portraits, occasionally asking for help with homework or just needing a good person to vent to.

Nearly a decade later and the portraits had all settled in relatively well, skipping about the castle if they pleased and finding their place amongst the students. All perhaps, but the one portrait that had remained as unchanged as he had in life: the portrait of Severus Snape. As students shuffled by he merely sneered as he had in life and watched the comings and goings with relative boredom. He never left his frame to visit with other portraits. Of course, he had another portrait in the Headmasters office that he could be in should he feel the urge but that was rare. Not to say that anybody would really know or notice of course, although he had been exonerated after death of wrongdoing Severus Snape faded in to the background as he always had. He never minded this as he had never been one for unnecessary pomp and circumstance.

Today was really no different, the hall was fairly quiet and nearly frozen rain splashed and plinked musically against the invisible ceiling and all students in the hall had found a portrait they wished to speak to. A newcomer entered the room nearly by his portrait. Her sullen expression was offset by the deep red hair that clouded around her head in huge loose curls and drew his attention to her. He watched as she shuffled towards his corner of the room letting out big sighs every so often. By the time she neared he had had enough.

"If you have nothing better to do than sigh and shuffle about then I suggest you go study for the class you're missing." He snapped and she looked up in shock. Uncomfortably Severus noted the bright green eyes that glowed from above a small dainty nose.

He expected her to gape for a moment then run away as students usually did. But the moments that it took for gaping passed quickly and still she stared. He noted the Gryffindor tie and badge affixed to her person. Every year at least one Gryffindor tried to get a rise out of him on a dare.

"What is it girl? Come to ogle me in my death as a mere curiosity?" his words seemed to snap her out of her daze.

"Well no," she stuttered looking anywhere but him. He fought the urge to roll his eyes at her.

"Then what could you possibly be doing? Annoying me on a dare perhaps? See if I've grown softer in death?" Her cheeks grew red but her eyes told him it was not embarrassment that made them so.

"Actually I was looking for a good place to have a good temper tantrum since all the good rooms downstairs are taken already. Goodness do you think everything is about you?" Her eyes blazed in fury at him and her gangly arms crossed in front of her chest.

"You were staring at me so I assumed whatever you're on about was in fact, about me." He replied easily.

She stared at him for a moment, opening her mouth then closing it again several times. He was about to say more when she turned sharply and began jogging off.

"You know, had you been nicer you might have made a friend." Matilda Pokehill spoke up from her neighboring portrait. "A very nice girl that one and you've gone and made her angry."

"I believe she said she was angry before I spoke to her." Severus replied smoothly.

"No matter, you could have been kinder." This time, unable to be seen, Severus rolled his eyes.

Cassiopeia Burns stomped down the stairs her vision nearly swimming in anger. This had not been a good day whatsoever. First, somebody had gotten a curling potion all over the girls' baths somehow and now her hair was an untamable curly, frizzy mess. A far cry from her naturally sleek and bone straight mane.

Then, she got the stupid letter from home telling her that her stupid cousins would be coming to stay for Christmas and that she was welcome to come home if she pleased. What a polite way of saying she shouldn't come home at all for holiday break. She had been looking forward to changing out her books. What a way to begin her morning and before she had even eaten breakfast.

She had kept her cool nearly all the way to lunch but the thought of having to fawn over a crystal ball and fake her way to a good grade was simply too much to handle today so she skipped. Of course every supposed- to- be empty classroom she passed already held students with the same idea as her.

Cassiopeia had never had a good reason to visit Memorial Hall really and so had never truly ventured up there before. Imagine her surprise when she'd begun getting snarked at by a surly dark haired portrait that apparently was the late Severus Snape. Apparently when it rains it pours. How she wished she could have vandalized the stupid painting until the man couldn't see out of it.

Christmas was only a little over a month away. The time for arranging other living situations for the holiday was long past for any polite person so Hogwarts it would have to be. She did enjoy the large tree placed in the great hall every year though. Then again, she hadn't specifically been told to stay here either. Going home was tempting even if it meant enraging her parents. She had about five weeks. A decision didn't need made right this minute.

Her mind calmed about Christmas it went back to that enraging portrait. Of course she knew who Severus Snape was, everybody did. The players in the second war were practically used as bedtime stories now though she had lived through it at a very young age. Her parents hadn't cared enough to hide any gory details, being purebloods and still on the ministry's' blacklist although very low on it.

"Wasting my time to specifically bother him- oh give me a break!" she exclaimed to herself. At nearly sixteen she had plenty of other things to do that were far more fulfilling than pissing off a grumpy portrait. She had half a mind to march back to the Hall and do just that. The clocks in the castle turned over the hour and announced the change of classes. Her stomach grumbled, she hadn't eaten after she'd read the letter from home. Luckily it was lunch.

Nobody asked her where she had been last class and she didn't offer any explanation anyways only asking if she had missed something important in case today had been one of those once- in-a- blue-moon days. It hadn't been. As she chewed on the turkey sandwich her mind rolled over the thought of bothering the surly portrait.

Truthfully she didn't think he got many visitors if any at all. It would certainly fill up the free blocks on her schedule since she'd doubled up last year trying to impress her parents. That had done absolutely nothing for her so this year she did the absolute bare minimum which translated in to half days all week. It was dreadfully boring after the first month of school had ended.

After downing her glass of apple juice Cassiopeia made a stop to grab some homework then made for the Hall. Her mind was already spinning with ways to annoy the ex-professor.

Plot bunny ate my other story and gave me this one for the moment. We'll see where it goes.


End file.
